1/48 Tamiya Brewster B-399 Buffalo

Gallery Article by Burt Gustafson on Feb 15 2010

 

For your viewing pleasure, here are some photos of my Tamiya 1/48 Scale Brewster B-339 Buffalo. Designed and manufactured by Brewster Areonautical, the stuby F2A Buffalo series became the United States Navy's first operational aircraft of monoplane design. Despite this honor, the aircraft as a whole failed to live up to expectations. The aircraft was too heavy for dog fighting and suffered from poor maneuverability. 

The British purchased some 200 of the export version (the B-339), who called it the Brewster Buffalo. They were sent to the Far East in an attempt to free up Spitfires and Hurricanes in Europe. Used in the defense of Burma and Singapore, the Buffalo was overmatched by the Japanese and eventually withdrawn from service. The only successful combat enjoyed in the Far East was the 100 Buffaloes of the Netherlands East Indies Army. 

A significant user of the Buffalo was the Finnish Air Force. Forty four Buffaloes were flown by the Finnish LLv24 Squadron. The aircraft was very effective in the hands of its Finnish pilots.  No fewer than 12 pilots became aces in Buffaloes, and the aircraft is remembered fondly by many.

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About the kit: This was an OOB build, and overall, assembly of the kit was relatively easy. The parts fit was good, there were no serious gaps that required filling and sanding. Fuselage and wing components had both raised and engraved panel lines. Because I wanted pin-washed panel lines, I rescribed all the engraved panel lines. 

Typically I mask canopies using Parafilm, but with this model I used canopy masks that Tamiya provided with the kit. The masks were easy to apply and fit well, it made masking the canopy much easier.

For painting I airbrushed the bottom of the fuselage and wings with Model Masters Sky. The camouflage pattern on the wings and fuselage was airbrushed with Model Masters RAF Dark Green and RAF Dark Earth enamels. The cockpit interior was painted with Model Masters enamels according to the painting instructions. 

The kit provideded decals for several different aircraft. I chose to go with the decals for No. 448 Squadron, RNZAF Singapore, late 1941. The decals were excellent; they snuggled down tightly with a little Micro Sol. I finished up the model with Model Masters Semi Gloss Clear Lacquer Finnish. 

I was pleased with the finished model, an enjoyable project.

Burt Gustafson

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Photos and text © by Burt Gustafson